When Everything Falls Apart
by janaleslie
Summary: Conner and Leah were high school sweethearts. They parted ways in college and moved on. But now everything in their lives is falling apart, and they ran to each other. What will happen when they see each other for the first time in 7 years? Review please!
1. The Begining

Background

Conner and Leah were high school sweat hearts. They were the "big" couple on campus. Everyone envied them for how in love they were. They parted ways in college however. Conner went to his dream school, UNF, and Leah going to FGCU. They both got masters degrees and had moved on from the heart shattering break up they had agreed upon after graduation. Leah had married Levi, and Conner was engaged to Kelsey. They had completely forgotten about each other and were living what they though was their dream lives. However; everything fell apart very quickly, and it all started with a trip to the doctor.

-Levi and Leah

It was a quite ride home, neither one of them knowing what to say to the other. Finally when they pulled into the driveway of their suburban home, Levi looked over at Leah with tear filled eyes and said two words that broke both of them, "I'm sorry". They had just gotten the news from the doctor that Levi was unable to have children. It was like someone had ripped their hearts out, they both wanted a family so badly and now they couldn't have one. Levi felt so guilty, even though he knew there was nothing he could do about it he felt like he had taken so much away from Leah. She had come from such a big family, being one of ten, and he knew how much she had wanted a big family of her own.

Leah just looked over at him, her face stained with tears of her own. She took his face between her hands, looked him right in the eyes, and said ten little words that filled Levi's broken heart, "Nothing you could do could make me love you less"

-Conner and Kelsey

"Conner!" Kelsey screamed the word over and over until she had reached him. They were standing in the middle of their Main Street loft, Conner had no idea what was going on. Kelsey looked up at him from the little stick she held in her hands and started to cry. Conner didn't know what to do, he didn't know what the stick meant until he took it out of her hands and read the little word on it. That one word changed his life forever; it said "pregnant" he didn't know how to react to this news, they weren't even married yet, but they were going to have a baby. He looked back at Kelsey who was still crying and they just stood there staring at each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, Kelsey asked the question they were both thinking " What now?".


	2. Phone Call

Leah and Levi were sitting on their couch watching the local news when the phone rang. Leah got up to answer it, but she froze when she saw what the caller ID said. "Anderson, Conner" with the familiar number underneath that she had known so well in high school.

"Who is it sweetie?" Levi called from the living room.

"wrong number" Leah replied rejecting the call and rejoining Levi on the couch. But as soon as she sat down the phone rang again. Leah went over to the stand hoping it was someone else, but her stomach dropped when she saw the same name and number come up. She decided to answer it, and with a shaking voice she said hello.

"Leah?" Conner's voice was just as Leah remembered it, and with it came overwhelming memories that made Leah's eyes start to water.

"This is she" Leah replied, her voice still shaking.

"Do you know who this is?" Conner asked hopefully.

"Yes" Leah really didn't feel like talking to him right now with Levi sitting in the next room.

"I know we haven't talked since we broke up in high school, but I didn't know who else to call" Leah could hear Conner's voice start to shake, which she knew meant something was really wrong.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Leah was getting worried now.

"Well, it's kind of a long story" Conner's voice cracked on the last word "But I'm back in town, would you mind meeting me for a cup of coffee at the little diner we used to love?" Leah had moved back to the little town they had grown up in after she graduated college, while Conner moved to Jacksonville.

"Sure! I'll meet you there in 10 minutes" Leah hung up the phone and when directly up stairs to her room. Levi came in to find her sitting on their bed crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked

Leah looked up a him. "Conner's in town and he wants me to meet him for coffee, he sounded really upset on the phone"

"Conner? Your high school boyfriend? Why is he back here?"

" He didn't say, but he said he didn't know who else to call. This is the first time I've ever thought about him, much less talked to him since high school. Something terrible must have happened for him to call me" Leah was crying even harder now.

"Okay so where are you meeting him?" Levi was the jealous type and Leah could tell he wasn't to crazy about the idea of her going to meet her ex-boyfriend without him coming along.

Leah stood up and looked at him. "I know what your thinking. Don't worry everything's going to be fine. I'm going to meet him tonight so he can talk about whatever he needs to talk about and then we will go back to never seeing each other ever again"

Levi smiled at Leah's speech and gave her a kiss " How do you know me better than I do?" he asked playfully. She kissed him back and said " Because I'm your wife and that's my job"


	3. First Sight

Conner stood up when he saw Leah enter the diner. He was taken aback by how much she had changed. He hair was darker and shorter, and she had lost some of the weight she had in high school. Her skin looked as soft as it used to be and Conner wanted so badly to run him fingers along her jaw line just as he had in high school.

"Leah!" he called

Leah smiled when she saw him and walked over to the table. He gave her a friendly hug and they both sat down.

"So what's up?" Leah asked " You sounded really upset on the phone"

Conner looked at his hands and mumbled something Leah couldn't understand. Then he looked up and repeated himself so she could hear him.

" Well.." he seemed to be at a loss of words " okay it all started when I asked Kelsey to marry me, we were so happy when we were dating, but them once I popped the question she seemed to change. She was so nice and kind but then we moved in together and we started to fight like an old married couple. Then just the other day she came running out of the bathroom with a positive pregnancy test in her hands and it really shook us. Neither of us knew what we was going to happen, and I'll admit we were both kind of scared. Then I got home from work yesterday and saw that she had left. She took everything and I didn't know what to do, so I got in the car and I came back here because it seemed like I was happiest here. But once I got here I realized it wasn't the place that made me happy, it was being with you, so I called you because I knew that you were the only person I could call that I wouldn't hear 'I told you so' from" It took a minute for Leah to take all this in.

" Wow" she said to fill the space.

Conner looked up at her finally and smiled nervously.

" Wow Conner, I don't really know what to say to the except I'm sorry. I really am, I know what it feels like to be so happy with someone and then have everything go wrong, it just happened with me and my husband."

Conner tilted his as if he was telling her to keep going. Leah got the hind and without even thinking she just pouring her heart out.

" Okay you know how I grew up in a really big family?" Conner nodded

" And how it has always been my dream to have a bunch of kids of my own?" Conner nodded again, getting an idea of where she was going with this.

" Well we have been trying for a baby ever since we got married two years ago and we thought we might need a little help, so we went to the doctor and he gave us the news that Levi is unable to conceive a child. Well now everything feels weird, it's not like the way it used to be, it just seems like he doesn't love me like he used to and it's only been a couple of days but I'm already tired of living with this zombie of a husband who mopes around all day" Conner just sat and listened to every word she said.

" I'm so sorry" he said softly " I know how broken you must be, not being able to have children. I know it meant a lot to you"

Leah looked down at the table, not wanting Conner to see that she was crying. Just then the waiter came over to the table and asked what he could get her. Before Leah could answer, Conner asked for his check and said Leah wasn't going to have anything. The waiter walked over to a computer and started pushing buttons on it. Leah looked at Conner in shock, that was never something the Conner she knew would do, maybe he had changed more than she had thought.

After Conner paid, he got up and motioned for her to do the same. She did and proceeded to follow him out of the little diner and to his car. It was dark out and they were the only people around. He took her hand in his and they both felt that jolt of electricity go up their arms and into their chests. They smiled at each other just like the way they used to. Conner realized then that he had the only car in the parking lot.

" Did you take a cab here?" he asked surprised, Leah hated taking cabs.

"Yes" Leah looked embarrassed " the car wouldn't start and you sounded so upset I didn't want to make you wait, so I called the cab company for the first time in my life and here I am" Conner laughed just a little and Leah joined in.

" I can give you a ride home if you want, I know you must be dreading riding home in a cab"

" I'm dreading going home at all" Leah said sadly " Like I said, things are a little weird at home right now"

" Well, how about we take a little detour then?" Leah smiled and nodded as she walked around the car and got in the passenger seat.


	4. Memories

Conner watched as Leah's face lit up when she finally figured out where he was taking her.

" Wow!" That was all Leah could say, she was so overtaken with memories, good and bad, that it was like she was lost in her own world. Conner parked and just sat and watch Leah float in her memories, he like the way her emotions showed up on her face, like she was an open book. Finally, he got out of the car and went around to open her door for her. She took his hand and the started walking toward the giant familiar football field they both knew so well, after all Conner was the starting quarterback and Leah was head varsity cheerleader all four years of high school. They could pick out the differences the school had made in the 7 years it had been since they had graduated. New bleachers with the school colors; white, gold, green, and black; painted on them, along with the giant warrior head mural in the middle of the field. The track had been paved and the snack bar was repainted, but even though all the changes had been made, it still felt like they were back in high school going to a football game for their leading rivals. They felt like teenagers again, and for a while, they both forgot about the troubles in their lives. They walked the track for hours and hours, talking and catching up on the last seven years of their lives.


	5. The Fall

Levi was in the living room still watching the news when Conner's car pulled into the drive way. He felt like he was playing the role of "daddy" when his daughter got home from her date, but he just couldn't help it, he wanted to make sure Leah was home and that nothing had happened between her and Conner. He looked out the window at the big black car sitting in the drive way, and then he saw it. Conner leaned over and kissed Leah, and even though Levi could barley see them, he could tell it wasn't your average goodnight kiss.

Leah got out of the car and walked to the house. Levi heard her key unlock the door and the door open while the car pulled away. Then the door slammed shut and Levi turned to see what Leah was so mad about, if anyone had the right to be mad it was him. He turned around to see Leah staring at him with a disgusted look on her face.

" I can't believe you!" she yelled at him

"Me?" Levi didn't know what she could be so upset about.

" You sat here all nigh waiting for me to get home because you didn't trust me to go have coffee with a friend!"

" No!" Levi was as furious as Leah now, how could she accuse him of such a thing when he knew that she had kissed Conner back. " All I was doing was trying to make sure that my wife got home safely"

" Oh don't give me that bull shit! I know that your the jealous type but this is taking it to a whole new level! I can't take this anymore Levi, I'm not happy living this life anymore!"

" What are you saying" Levi screamed back at her.

" I'm saying that I don't want to pretend to be happy here when I'm not, I'm done living this fake life, I'm leaving" Leah's voice was soft now and tears were starting to roll down her cheeks.

" Where are you going to go?" Levi was willing to do anything for her to stay just one more night, but he knew it was a lost cause.

" Anywhere, it doesn't matter I just want to be out of this house!" Leah was yelling again. Then she turned around and walked out the door, she didn't even look back at Levi crying in the window, she was looking forward and secretly hoping the rest of her life had Conner in it.


	6. Conner

Conner was almost back at his hotel when his phone rang. He knew the number and it made his stomach sink. He answered it hoping to hear a happy voice, but instead he heard what he predicted, Leah's sobs and shaking voice. He turned the car around and sped back to her neighborhood. He found her sitting on a curb a block away from her house with her face in her hands and rain drenching her. He pulled over and got out of the car, he didn't realize how cold it had been until now, but he did realize that Leah must be freezing, so he took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her, she turned and buried her face in his chest, sobbing even more. He just sat there not saying anything just hugging her and letting her cry all her feelings out. Finally, she looked up at him, her eyes were red and swollen and her face was black from her mascara filled tears. That was the second it took for Conner to realize that when he broke up with her in high school, it was the biggest mistake of his life and he was willing to do anything to keep her in his life, no matter what the consequences. He looked down at her and smiled, just seeing him smile lessened Leah's tears and she managed to smile back. He helped her up and into his car then he drove back to his hotel. Once they got to his room Conner told Leah to take a hot shower because she was still shivering. While Leah was in the shower Conner fell asleep, not on purpose, but he was so tired, with everything that happened, he didn't realize how late it had gotten. Leah got out of the shower and found Conner asleep in the chair in the corner. He looked so peaceful she didn't want to wake him up, so she put a spare blanket over him and went over to the bed. She settled down into the comfortable sheets and she knew she was incredibly tired, but sleep never came to her. She kept thinking of what had happened with Levi, and when she did the thought came to her of what her life would be like of she were to spend the rest of it with Conner. This thought brought more tears to her eyes and before she knew it, she was sobbing again. She didn't want to wake Conner with her crying, so she went in the hallway and sat on the floor next to the door. She didn't mind sitting in the hallway, after all not many people are out at 4 O'clock on a Wednesday morning. She sat, crying and crying, she didn't know what else to do, finally around the time she started to see the sun come through the hallway window, she managed to cry herself to sleep; that's where Conner found her two hours later, sitting in the hallway leaning against the wall sleeping, he could tell she had been crying, her eyes were a dead giveaway. He couldn't stand the fact that she was so upset, he just wanted to see her smile and laugh the way she had the night before on the football field. He wanted to do anything to see that smile again, including going to give Levi a piece of his mind, but he knew that would only upset her more, so instead he sat down next to her and let her sleep on his shoulder.


	7. Ups and Downs

When Leah woke up her eyes hurt and her back was killing her. She was confused at first, not remembering going into the hallway in the middle of the night, but when the memories of the previous night came back to her, so did the tears. She looked at Conner who was still sitting next to her and yet another tear escaped her already swollen eyes. Just seeing the tear fall down her check made Conner want to kill Levi but he kept that to himself and instead asked Leah if she was hungry. She said no, got up, and went back into the hotel room, Conner followed.

" What can I do?" his voice sounded strained and Leah knew why.

" Nothing" she replied in a soft voice "All I want you to do is help me forget about Levi and help remember the times we had in high school. I realized last night that even though I have no idea what is in my future now, I want you to be a big part of it"

Conner smiled and walked over to Leah, he took her in his arms and ran his fingers along her jaw line, just as he had been longing to do at the diner. She tilter her head up toward him and kissed him.

Conner and Leah had been inseparable for the past month, after Leah forgot about Levi, they have been as happy as they had been in high school. They were sitting at the local park when Conner's phone rang. He looked at the information in the screen and then up at Leah.

" It's Kelsey" Leah's face dropped, but she told him to answer it.

Leah watched as Conner sat listening to Kelsey for a long time. She could hear Kelsey yelling into the phone and she could tell Conner was not happy with what he was hearing. Finally Conner said something

" Okay" he said sounding devastated then he hung up the phone.

" What happened?" Leah was nervous.

" She's having a girl, and she's farther along then we thought, she's almost 4 months" Conner sounded depressed as he told Leah

" Wow! That's great you get to have a daughter in a couple of months!"

Conner looked up from his hands at Leah and told her what Kelsey had just told him " Kelsey doesn't want me to be involved with the baby, she said she thinks I would be a bad father and she doesn't want me to influence the baby in a bad way"

Leah looked at Conner's sad face and hugged him " I for one thing you would be a fantastic father, actually the best father in the world and if Kelsey doesn't see that then she didn't see the real you." Leah started to cry and Conner didn't know why, he just looked at her and asked what was wrong. She looked up at him.

" I didn't want to tell you yet, actually that was why I planned this picnic was to find a way to tell you, but now I think I'm just going to come out with it" Conner's stomach flipped, he had a good idea of what she was going to say.

" Do you remember what happened two weeks ago in our hotel room" Leah asked, knowing he already knew what she was going to say

" Yes" Conner said nervously.

" Well I was a little late, so when we went to the grocery store the other day I bought a pregnancy test and took it in the bathroom. It was positive Conner, your going to be a daddy!" Leah went on crying, but this time she was crying from happiness. She looked up at Conner to see a huge smile on his face.

" This is the best news you could've ever given me!" Leah could tell he was truly meaning what he said, he really was happy about this and she was too.


	8. Double Trouble

Leah's pregnancy went by rather fast, they had gotten a house in the suburbs, and Conner had found a job close by. They were settling nicely into their new lives together and they were so happy with each other neither one of them could figure out how they had left each other so long ago.

Conner was at work when he received a call from Leah, he knew she was going in for her 8 month check up today so he kept his phone close by.

" Hello?" Conner was nervous to hear what Leah was about to tell him.

"Conner?" Leah was crying, although she had been doing that an awful lot lately with her hormones all out of wack.

" What? What happened? Is the baby okay? Are you okay?" Conner was frantic to know what was going on.

" No, no everything's fine, I'm fine" Leah said in a reassuring voice.

" And the baby" Conner was freaking out! Why wouldn't she tell him about the baby?

" Yes" Leah finally said " The babies are fine"

" Babies" Conner was in shock.

" Yes, babies, we are having twins! Little twin girls! Oh Conner isn't great"

Conner's eye filled with tears of joy, he was so happy, now he get not only one little miracle, but two.


	9. The Moment

The last month went by so quick it was like it didn't even happen. During the days Conner went to work and Leah stayed home getting ready for the babies. And at night they would settle down together and watch a good movie, they were both movie fanatics. It just seemed like another regular day when Conner went to work that morning until he got a frantic call from Leah just before lunch saying her water had just broken and she was having the babies. Conner jumped in his car and rushed home. He found Leah in the bath tub screaming in pain. He helped her out and into the car, then he ran back in and got the bags they had ready and ran back to the car. Leah was in so much pain he didn't know what to do he just sped to the hospital. He ran into the emergency room and announced that Leah is in labor and they need help now. A group of nurses came out immediately with a wheelchair for Leah. They wheeled her into a room and told Conner to wait outside. Conner paced the hallway forever until finally a nurse came out and told him they had to do a c-section immediately. Conner ran into the room and straight to Leah's side. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes.

" I'm so scared" her voice was shaking so much it was hard to understand her.

" Don't worry" Conner was scared too, but he wanted to support Leah so he put on a brave face. "I'm right here. I won't ever leave you. Everything's going to be perfect and in a couple of hours Sophia and Payton are going to be in your arms"

Just then the nurses started to wheel Leah's bed out of the room. Leah turned around with a panicked look on her face and grabbed Conner's hand as tight as she could

" Don't let go" she told him, he could tell she was truly frightened

" I won't" he replied

They got Leah into the operating room and told Conner he had to put on scrubs. Once he was ready they had to give Leah medication. The second Conner heard that he went over to comfort Leah. He knew she was terrified of needles. She was freaking out and he was doing everything he could to calm her down but she was to worked up. Finally, after a lot of struggling, they got the right medicine in her and they were ready to deliver the babies.


	10. The Color Purple

Conner watched as they pulled out two little purple screaming babies. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen and he was overjoyed. First came Sophia and then little Payton. Leah was awake the whole time so she too got to hear the first cry of her little miracles. They stitched Leah's stomach back up with a small scar and after cleaning and examining the babies, they brought them over for Leah and Conner to hold. Conner had never held a baby before, and the fact that the baby he was holding now was his own was almost too much for him to handle. He looked down at the beautiful sleeping baby in his arms and then over at Leah and for the first time in his life, he felt complete.


	11. Sophia and Payton

Leah had to be in the hospital overnight just to make sure there were no complications. Conner stayed with her all night, sleeping in the chair next to her bed. Payton and Sophia were in the hospital nursery, and Conner paid frequent visits to the huge window with his daughters sleeping on the other side of it. He loved to watch them sleep and to see the similarities they had from him and Leah. He saw that they were identical and they mostly looked like Leah. They both had a full head of auburn colored hair just like Leah's, but they both had daddy's nose. He wanted so badly to see their eyes, but they were so beautiful sleeping that he didn't want to wake them up.

Leah went home the next day and Sophia and Payton got home 3 days later. From then on Conner and Leah's lives were full of crying babies, sleepless nights, bottles, and dirty diapers. Conner's work performance was slacking because he was up all nigh taking care of the babies and Leah was going stir crazy being home with the babies all day every day. But regardless of how hard their lives were now, they were with each other and that was all that mattered.


	12. Eight years Later

"**Mommy!" Leah turned around to see Jaden covered in mud.**

" **Oh my goodness Jaden, what happened to you?"**

" **We are playing in the mud mommy, it's so much fun! Come try it with us!" Leah looked out the kitchen window to see Sophia, Payton, and Alexis all sitting in a pile of mud. It had been raining for days and today was finally sunny so the girls were itching to go outside and play. The only problem was their entire backyard was covered in mud. Leah had told Sophia and Payton to watch their little sisters and to stay out of the mud, but they obviously hadn't listened. Leah was furious, she already had to give Grayson a bath after he had dumped his entire bowl of baby food on his head, and now she had four very muddy daughters. **

**Leah looked down at Jaden**

"**Didn't mommy tell you to stay out of the mud?" Leah asked in a calm voice.**

"**Yes, but Sophie and Payton started playing in it first and so me and Lexie joined in." Jaden looked guilty.**

" **Well then maybe you shouldn't always do what Sophie and Payton do, because then you get in trouble too." Her voice was still calm, she was determined not to yell at her children.**

" **I'm sorry mommy. I won't do it again."**

" **that's okay sweetie, now go tell your sisters to hose off and come in the house"**

**With that Jaden said okay and went back outside. **

**Leah sighed and turned around to get a very messy Grayson out of his high chair. Then the girls came in, mud and all. Leah turned around with Grayson in her arms. **

" **Jaden, Alexis go upstairs and straight to the bathroom, I'll be up there in a minute."**

**They nodded and did as they were told. Sophie and Payton knew they were in trouble. Once Jaden and Lexie were up the stairs Leah turned to the older girls.**

" **I told you both to watch your sisters and not to go near the mud, and you did anyway, you didn't listen to mommy. That was not a very smart thing to do girls and I don't want it to happen again" Leah was still talking calmly, she had hated when her own mother yelled at her, and she made a promise to herself never to yell at her own children.**

" **we're sorry mommy" Sophie said, while looking at the floor.**

" **Ya, we're sorry, we won't do it again" Payton added**

" **Good, now go upstairs to and you can take a shower in my bathroom since I'm giving your sisters a bath in yours."**

**They walked slowly up the stairs, still looking at the floor.**

**After getting towels and little bath toys, Leah walked into the bathroom her daughters were in. She put Grayson in his little bath seat so he could sit up and began to clean the three of them. Jaden and Alexis loved bath time because they like to splash around and play with the toys. Grayson on the other hand was no too fond of the water being thrown. After covering the bathroom walls in water and a lot of giggles, Leah was finally done and putting them into their pajamas when she heard the front door open and close again. She knew Conner was home now and she could hear him greeting Sophie and Payton. Then he proceeded up the stairs and into the bathroom where he heard all the giggles coming from. Instantly he was attacked with two very wet little giggley girls. They ran to him hugging him and soaking his pants. **

" **Hi daddy!" Jaden was the family's biggest daddy's girl, and whenever her daddy got home she never wanted to leave him. **

" **Hi my little angels how are you today?" Conner looked at Leah getting Grayson out of the tub, he could tell she was tired. She looked up " Well someone decided to play in the mud today, so we all had to get baths" Leah told him.**

" **Uh oh, did mommy tell you not to play in the mud?" Conner looked down at the little girls wrapped around his legs. **

" **Sophie and Payton did it first" Jaden defended herself.**

" **Well if you always do what Sophie and Payton do, they are going to get you in trouble sometimes"**

" **Sorry daddy" **

" **that's okay sweetheart."**

**Conner helped Leah get the girls into their pajamas, and then took them downstairs into the living room where Sophie and Payton were. Leah put Grayson to bed and joined them. They put in the girls favorite move and all settled down on the couch just the way Leah and Conner had before the girls were born. Conner looked at Leah who was covered in three sleeping girls and smiled. His life felt so complete and happy here with Leah and their children, he thought back 9 years ago to the first time they saw each other since high school and how much their lives had changed in that one night. He was glad that all that had happened because now Leah was his forever, and that's the way he's happy.**


End file.
